Skeletal Remains Found Near Lakeland in September Identified as Lakeland Woman

Monday

Apr 7, 2014 at 11:41 AMApr 8, 2014 at 12:25 AM

Skeletal remains found near Lakeland in September were identified as those of a 33-year-old Lakeland woman, who family members attempted to report missing more than a year earlier, sheriff's officials said.

By STEPHANIE ALLENTHE LEDGER

LAKELAND | Skeletal remains found near Lakeland in September were identified as those of a 33-year-old Lakeland woman, who family members attempted to report missing more than a year earlier, sheriff's officials said.Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said detectives do not know how Mary Elizabeth Rhodes died, but they are working the case as a suspicious death.Rhodes was identified last week by DNA obtained through a section of bone sent to the University of North Texas, Judd said.A man found the remains Sept. 17 in a box in a wooded area off North Wabash Avenue in Lakeland while he was looking for scrap metal pieces, the Sheriff's Office said. Judd said it appears Rhodes was dead for an extendedperiod before her bones were placed in the box. Detectives do not know where Rhodes died, but said almost her complete skeleton was found in the box.According to the Sheriff's Office, Rhodes was last seen by her family near the end of March 2012. About a month later, her sister Larfay Copeland attempted to report to the Lakeland Police Department that Rhodes was missing but was told she needed her parents to make the report, the Sheriff's Office said.After still not having seen nor heard from Rhodes, her father, James Pearson, went to the LPD on May 7, 2012, in an attempt to again file a missing persons report, the Sheriff's Office said.The officer on duty, Kevin Parker, took information from Pearson and filed a report, but determined Rhodes did not meet standardized criteria to be entered into the statewide missing persons system. "Because Mr. Pearson's daughter is an adult, no history of mental illness, or no foul play was suspected, I advised Mr. Pearson that she does not meet the criteria as a missing person," the report states.However, Parker misfiled his report, Lakeland police Sgt. Gary Gross said.Parker filled out an information report instead of a missing person report, which would have been sent to a detective to follow up on, Gross said. Information reports are sent to a file that is not regularly monitored, Gross said.Gross said the LPD has since changed its reporting system and no longer uses an information report. Before the switch, the department had several high-profile cases that involved misfiled reports, including the 2010 murder of 44-year-old Virginia Varnum. Her brother, Bruce Varnum, attempted to file a missing person report with LPD seven days before he found her body behind her Lakeland house. Her boyfriend, Monday Demarsh, was sentenced last year to life in prison for the killing.Rhodes' case did not surface with police again until nearly a year and a half after the report was misfiled, and about a week after the skeletal remains were found, the Sheriff's Office said.On Sept. 24, 2013, Copeland called the Sheriff's Office with information about the remains possibly belonging to her missing sister. Lakeland police were then contacted about their report. At that time, LPD learned the officer had misfiled his report, Gross said. Parker's supervisor was contacted and an employee incident report was filed on Nov. 6 to begin an administrative investigation, Gross said. The investigation finished Friday and concluded that Parker, who was hired Jan. 25, 2010, needed counseling and retraining, Gross said. It is not considered disciplinary action, he said.The Sheriff's Office continued its investigation, and last week received word the university identified the remains as Rhodes. Judd said detectives need help with any information about how Rhodes died. He described her as a "street person," who frequently lived between houses on East Garden Street and Texas Avenue. Jail records show she has several arrests on charges of prostitution and drugs."We're trying to construct the last days of Mary's life," he said. Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers at 800-226-8477.

[ Stephanie Allen can be reached at stephanie.allen@theledger.com or 863-802-7550. ]

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